RECG Vehicles and Starships
Reference Book: Star Wars Saga Edition Rebellion Era Campaign Guide The Empire manages to control the galaxy in large part by controlling the supply of military vessels. The constructions of capital-class ships outside of Empire-approved shipyards declined massively in the years leading up to the Battle of Yavin, and only a limited number of independent shipyards retain the capacity to build such craft. As the Alliance grows and strengthens, it focuses more attention on maintaining and expanding its fleet, but throughout The Rebellion Era, its large warships remain too precious to risk on anything other than major strategic targets. As a result, the construction of smaller ships increases, as shipyards try to maintain profits and independent groups seek whatever vessels they can purchase. One advantage of smaller ships it that they are likely to be overlooked by Imperial forces that view Capital Ships as major threats. In addition, although the Empire has outlawed the ownership of armed freighters or Starfighters in many Core Worlds, enforcement of this rule has a lower priority than locating Rebel bases or protecting Imperial interests. Even the Empire accepts that law-abiding citizens who live far from civilization might require armed vessels to protect themselves and their cargo; on fringe worlds, anything short of a frigate is unlikely to draw much attention. The Vehicles and Starships presented in this chapter, many of which were designed and built prior to the end of the Clone Wars, represent the types of vessels available to private citizens during the Galactic Civil War. The Rebellion and major organizations (Such as The Zann Consortium) sometimes develop unique vehicle designs to suit their needs, but most groups outside the Empire must make do with whatever generic vessels are available. The Vehicles and Starships in this chapter are in the hands of pirates, smugglers, planetary defense forces, large cartels or corporations, and small organizations preparing to fight against the growing tyranny of the New Order. Other chapters in this book present Vehicles and Starships that are used primarily by The Rebel Alliance (The Rebel Alliance), The Galactic Empire (The Empire), and The Fringe (Fringe Factions). Speeders Main Article: Speeders Throughout The Rebellion Era, the Empire focuses on Walkers, both as instruments of intimidation and in response to a growing number of Repulsorlift Inhibitor Mine design, but the sale of Speeders to civilians and small planetary defense forces continues unabated. The long range and heavy velocity of Speeders makes them popular with legitimate business owners, smugglers, bounty hunters, Rebels, and others who rarely need to worry about Mines or cowing the populace of an entire world. Airspeeders Main Article: Airspeeders Starfighters Main Article: Starfighters Starfighters are the most basic military vessels used in space combat, serving roles as varied as patrol craft, armed transports, escorts, attack vessels, and bombers. Much easier to conceal than larger military ships, Starfighters are popular with Rebels, smugglers, pirates, and crime lords. An Imperial Star Destroyer can identify the military lines of a Corellian Corvette at a glance, but it's more difficult to determine whether the ships in a transport's hangar are defenseless shuttles or G1-M4-C Dunelizard Fighters. Although the X-Wing is the most famous Starfighter of The Rebellion Era, it is not the only fighter put to extensive use during that time. In addition to vessels left over from the Clone Wars and those designed for purely local use, hundreds of different Starfighters were produced and saw combat during the Galactic Civil War. The vessels presented below are typical examples of the Starfighter found throughout the galaxy in the hands of Rebels, Imperials, and those on the fringes of society. Space Transports Main Article: Space Transports During The Rebellion Era, Space Transports see a huge increase in use for a variety of reasons. First, they are the largest type of vessel that many shipyards are allowed to build under restrictive Imperial regulations. Second, they are easier than larger ships to hide, maintain, and modify in secret bases, but they remain more powerful than Starfighters, making them the choice of smugglers, bounty hunters, pirates, small merchant cartels, and even Rebel strike forces. Third, it is possible to operate a dozen light freighters for the same cost as a Capital Ship, so credit-strapped groups find it more economical to use Space Transports as scouts, patrol ships, and armed escorts rather than trying to field a fleet of larger ships. Even planetary governments that have Imperial permission to arm patrol ships sometimes discover that their treasuries, ravaged by the rigors of the Clone Wars and the harsh taxes of the Empire, cannot afford anything bigger than a Space Transport. Capital Ships Main Article: Capital Ships